Lilian had begun to settle in the castle over the following days, her initial fear melting away, replaced by a calmness she had thought will be impossible in a land ruled by vampires.
But yet, Lilian thrived in her new found freedom in the castle, enticed by its forgotten corners and untended rooms which quickly became some of her favourite places.
There was something magical about pulling away the dusty white sheets from forgotten furniture or sweeping aside the cobwebs that clung to old books and sculptures. And no one seemed to be bothered by this. It was as if she were breathing life back into parts of the castle that had long been abandoned.
But the book she found some days ago became her secret pleasure. Its pages filled with fairy tales hinting at cursed lands and immortal beings. It became a small escape into fantastical stories that seemed to mirror her own impossible reality. Even if no one reprimanded her for going into every other room, that hidden study deep within the heart of the castle felt off limits and hence the book found its permanent spot underneath her mattress.
Cassius affection for Lilian grew with each passing day. Her inquisitive mind, her unguarded curiosity—it fascinated him and seemed to warm up his cold body.
He found himself drawn to her in ways he hadn't expected, her presence was alike a light in the dark world he had long inhabited alone. His growing attachment had not gone unnoticed by his court. The whispers had started, the quiet looks from the servants who ran the castle with meticulous care.
Every evening, as was his routine, Cassius retreated to his study, where Lilian's maid would meet him. His heart would quicken at the thought of hearing how Lilian had spent her day.
"How is Lilian?" Cassius asked. It was the same question he asked every night.
"She is resting before dinner, Your Highness," the maid replied, her smile soft.
"And she has been awake throughout the day?" he asked although his mind was still concerned about the reality of his soulmate being a human. How could he, a creature of darkness, ask her to share his world, his life in the shadows that defined his existence?
"Yes, she ate a few things and spent most of her time exploring the library," the maid reported.
Cassius's heart lifted slightly, his voice softening with relief. "I am glad to hear that she has left her chamber." He had feared she might feel trapped, isolated in the vast castle—perhaps even resentful. His deepest terror, however, was that she would come to resent him. "Is everyone in the court respectful of her? Is she safe?"
"Though a few have quietly questioned Lady Lilian's presence, there are no concerns for her safety among the staff."
Cassius's jaw clenched. "If any issues arise, report them to me immediately."
"Of course, Your Highness," Penelope smiled.
But Cassius's mind wandered. *Would she ever truly feel safe here?* He had sworn to protect her, but what if it was his very nature or his kind that threatened her peace or even life? Could he bridge the vast chasm between them, between the life of a human and the eternal night of a vampire? Every fiber of his being cried out for her, but his rational mind whispered doubt. What if, in time, she grew to resent the darkness that defined his world, the darkness that surrounded him and that could become her prison?
His thoughts were interrupted by the maid's words. "I believe Lord Julius is on the way back and should be reporting to you shortly."
"Ah, fantastic." Cassius's voice betrayed him as there was a hint of disappointment in it.
He had sent Julius to investigate Lilian's past, her family—*to find anyone who might claim her back to the human world.* The very idea of it turned his stomach. The thought that Julius might bring news that could take Lilian away from him left him cold. He feared the answer to a question he wasn't brave enough to ask her: *Would you stay with me, if given the choice?* He knew Lilian's answer. She had no reason to remain in Ironwood.
As the maid departed, leaving him alone with his racing thoughts, Cassius felt the weight of his immortality more acutely than ever. He had waited lifetimes for his soulmate, for *Lilian.* And now that she was here, the thought of losing her gnawed at him. *How can I ask her to stay, knowing what I am? Knowing the darkness that will surround her forever if she remains by my side?*
In the quiet, he slowly began to tidy his desk, his movements absent and distracted, before he departed for the dining room.
Breakfast for him, dinner for her—a reminder of the divide between them that no amount of love or yearning could ever truly bridge.
For a while, Cassius started to think that Lilian's curiosity and awkward questions subsided as she grew accustomed to living in the castle. But every now and then, her inquisitiveness shocked him.
Like that evening when Lilian keenly ate her roast dinner while Cassius ate a lighter meal to start his awake hours.
Lilian stared at Cassius for a few moments and then leaned forward, crafting her next question carefully. Cassius felt equally amused and terrified at what was going to be thrown at him next.
"So, what's the deal with the fangs?" Lilian asked, her curiosity burning in her wide eyes and her voice brimming with an almost childlike wonder.
Cassius blinked, taken aback by the question. "What do you mean?"
"Are they there all the time, or are they retractable like a Swiss Army knife?" she continued, as though it was the most casual thing in the world to ask a vampire.
Cassius narrowed his eyes. "Swiss Army knives *unfold*, they don't retract." His tone was sharp.
"Okay, pedantic much." She rolled her eyes at him. "A switchblade, then? Unless they fold…" Lilian pressed, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
"They do *not* fold," Cassius growled, his patience waning under her relentless interrogation.
Lilian smirked but remained unfazed. "Let me see!"
Cassius froze, staring at her in disbelief. "Excuse me?"
"Show me your fangs," she demanded, her tone playful but insistent as she maintained her gaze. Cassius was utterly speechless, Lilian's audacity threw him off balance. He stared at her, his mind racing to make sense of her outrageous request. No one, *no one*, had ever asked him something so absurd. Slowly, he wiped his lips with his napkin, stalling for time as he took a sip of water. With a resigned sigh, he bared his teeth awkwardly. Moments like this felt surreal, as if he had stepped into some bizarre dream.
"Oooh," Lilian leaned in with wide-eyed fascination, scrutinizing his mouth. Her wide smile filled him with joy, reminding him why he put up with her requests and even enjoyed them. "You've got something stuck between your teeth." She pointed to her own mouth, her finger tracing the spot where the offending piece of food resided in his.
Cassius turned away mortified, hurriedly covering his mouth with his napkin as he tried to discreetly remove whatever was lodged there. His cheeks burned with an unfamiliar heat—was this… *embarrassment*?
"So… do they retract?" she asked, her voice a mix of intrigue and amusement as she watched him squirm. She enjoyed his discomfort a smidge too much.
"Sort of. They elongate when we need to feed and shrink when we don't." His tone was quieter, trying to regain some semblance of composure. His pride was slightly bruised.
"Interesting," Lilian muttered thoughtfully, taking another bite of her food. Then, as if the absurdity of the situation hadn't yet reached its peak, she leaned forward again. "Show me!" She demanded again.
Cassius stared at her, his eyes narrowing, his temper flaring. "They elongate when we're ready to *feed*. Do you really want that?" His voice had a dangerous edge. He reached for his wine, taking a long sip in an attempt to drown the rising irritation—and the burning of his cheeks which was highly impossible for a vampire.
Lilian fell silent, her playful demeanor softening as she mulled over his response. "That's a shame," she muttered, disappointment flashed through her delicate face. Her teasing mood suddenly dampened. But Cassius knew that this kind of conversations were far from being over. He also recognised that others were noticing his soft spot for Lilian as every now and then he caught a glance of the servants trying to conceal their snickering when they overheard some of his conversation with Lilian.
"Penelope mentioned that you visited the library today," Cassius said, breaking the silence that had only been filled by the soft clinking of cutlery for a few minutes.
Lilian looked up, her eyes brightening instantly. "Yes, indeed! I spent the day lost in your collection of poems." Her voice was eager. "Your library is remarkable. I didn't expect to find so many human writers on your shelves."
"I care not whether the writer is human, vampire, or something else entirely," he admitted, his voice low, "as long as their craft speaks for itself."
Lilian's golden curls bounced lightly as she nodded, a soft, hum of agreement escaping her lips. "That would explain why I've found so many books that pulled me in from the very first page."
"I am glad that my book collection is to your taste." Cassius murmured. It was strange to feel something so human and so visceral. "Is there anything else you might need for your stay?"
"No, thank you, Your Majesty." Her smile was radiant, innocent in its charm—completely unaware of the way it seemed to fill the room with a light that nearly overwhelmed him.
Cassius forced himself to look away, his hands tightening around the stem of his goblet. That smile, so effortless, so pure, was unraveling him. Lilian had no idea of the firestorm she ignited within him, how every glance, every word chipped away at the walls he had built around his heart. He hadn't felt its beat in years, yet now, in her presence, it ached in ways he had long forgotten.
And yet, here she was, so close, so impossibly close, and it took everything in him to keep from reaching out, from revealing the depths of his longing. Instead, he merely sat there, silently tortured, trying to hide the storm of emotions that threatened to tear him apart.